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“Wait a minute. So you’re telling me we could be back to square one? It might not be someone on the ranch?”
Bella shrugged. “I can’t rule anything out until I know what was in your blood specifically.”
“Dad! Bella! Come on!”
She chuckled, though it was hard to do so with Grant’s hand still holding hers. “It would appear your son has lost his patience with us. Kids his age are notorious for that, you know.”
Bella considered pulling away from him, but a small voice inside told her to let him be the first one to break the contact.
At least the smile that filled his face was a good sign. He was finding his son just as amusing as she was. Maybe they had a lot more in common than she’d given them credit for.
Grant dropped his hold on her and moved toward the tractor. “What did I say, bud? You can’t climb up there without a grown up.” He tossed a look at her over his shoulder. “Ask Deputy Bella. She’ll tell you. Only people who know how to drive can do that.”
“I bet I could drive,” Nick argued.
“I’m sure you could… right into that tree over there.” Grant ruffled Nick’s hair, leaving Bella to watch from a distance, her heart growing even fonder of the cute duo. Who cared if it wasn’t wise? She was going to spend time with whomever she liked.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Grant remained cautious over the next week, but the more time that passed, the easier it was to slip up and forget that someone might be out to get him. Bella’s presence only added to it. She still had that hard exterior shell that he couldn’t seem to break through, but every so often she showed a softer side to him—one that made it hard to ignore his growing attraction to her.
Would it be so bad if he were to ask her out on a date? They’d spent plenty of time together after work lately. That was a good sign, right? Unless what she’d said was true and she was only doing it because she thought he wasn’t capable of keeping his son safe.
He let out a sigh as he sat at the table in his RV with his cup of coffee. Nick wasn’t up yet, so it was harder for Grant to keep his mind from wandering. There was only one problem with asking Bella out.
What if she turned him down?
Then he’d have to live with the embarrassment while they continued looking for the person responsible for framing him.
Grant lifted the steaming cup to his lips. It was Saturday, which meant no school. Charlotte wasn’t able to keep an eye on Nick because she had other errands to run, so he’d made sure to take the day off.
Bella would be stopping by, as well. She wanted to get a more detailed list of all the things that had happened since he’d arrived, though he couldn’t think of anything they hadn’t discussed.
Maybe she was spending time with him because she liked him. A pleasant sensation shot through him, spreading to his extremities. He was going to do it. He was going to ask her out. The risks weren’t so bad, and he wanted to see where he could take this.
A soft knocking brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced over to where Nick was still sleeping. The boy could sleep through most anything, but Grant wasn’t willing to risk him getting up right now, so he grabbed his cup and headed for the door.
Bella stepped back as he pushed the door open. She didn’t look thrilled.
Grant ducked out of the RV and shut the door as quietly as he could. “What’s the matter?”
“Bad news.”
“Do I even want to know?”
She looked away. “This is so embarrassing. I don’t even know where to start.”
“How about at the beginning.”
Bella gave him a flat look. “Someone threw away your canteen.”
He stiffened. “What? How does something like that happen? You said you took it to the station.”
“I did. We have some new people working there. Mishandling of evidence happens a lot more than you might think, especially in a small town like this one.” She pressed her lips together and her cheeks flushed. “There’s no way to track it down. Believe me, I tried.”
He groaned. It felt like a new obstacle was thrown in their way at every turn. “We still have the blood samples though, right? Any word?”
Slowly, Bella shook her head. “Whenever I call, they make excuses or try to assure me everything will be sorted out soon,” she said. “I don’t know what kind of show they’re running up there, but they should have found it by now.”
